California Earned Income Tax Credit Awareness Week is Jan 30 - Feb 3

January 31, 2023 - SACRAMENTO, CA — The California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) Coalition, which includes policy advocates, low-income service providers, labor representatives, and community and faith-based organizations, is urging state leaders to double down on the proven poverty-fighting and equity-building CalEITC and Young Child Tax Credit (YCTC) programs to help families with low incomes meet their basic needs. The push comes as the coalition kicks off California Earned Income Tax Credit Awareness Week, a statewide effort to inform families earning under $30,000 about the credits they can access by filing a tax return, as well as free tax filing resources.

Tax credits that put cash back in California families’ pockets are all the more essential now as families struggle to pay record-high prices for essentials like food and groceries, utilities and rent. At the same time, extra support related to the pandemic, such as additional CalFresh benefits and protections against eviction, are running out. 

The CalEITC Coalition has a unified message: Now is the time to double down on investments in proven anti-poverty and equity-building programs to ensure all Californians can keep fresh food on the table and a roof over their heads.

This year, the CalEITC Coalition is calling on Governor Newsom and legislative leaders to support struggling families by:

• raising the minimum CalEITC credit to $300, 

• expanding the Young Child Tax Credit to all CalEITC-eligible households, and

• ensuring investments in tax credit outreach and free tax preparation/Volunteer Income Tax Assistance are maintained in the state budget.

The CalEITC Coalition created this video urging Governor Newsom and the Legislature to prioritize investments in the CalEITC and YCTC as proven tools to prevent Californians from slipping into poverty and help families build resilience to pushback against these economic challenges. Additionally, this second campaign video exposes the untold truth behind corporate tax preparer companies siphoning crucial CalEITC payments through deceptive marketing tactics and underscores why support for VITAs free tax preparation is so important to assure families’ dollars go into their pockets rather than deceptive corporations.

The California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) Coalition is a broad group of 35+ advocacy and community-based organizations across the state of California committed to expanding access to the CalEITC and other cash-back tax credits.
Source: California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) Coalition